Electrical battery.



Patented Aug. 7, i993.

Q. E. FREE-5 391.

ELESTMGEAL BATTERY.

(Applicatien flied Dec. 80, 1897) x m vi ggymfl I UNITED STATES CHARLES EDOUARD OKEENAN, or PARIS, FRANCE.

PATENT QFFICE.

ELE CTRICAL'BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,368, dated August .7, 1900.

I Application filed December 30, 1897. Serial No. 664,516

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES EnoUARn QKELENA'N, a subject of the Queen of Great Britainv and Ireland, residing at Paris,France,

have invented certain newand useful Inn-- provements in Electrical Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical batteries;

and its object is to provide a battery in which the cost of materials is strictly in accordance with theory and in which the oxygen of the air is a gratuitous agent of depolarization.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a horizontal sectional view taken near the top of a cell embodying my invention. Fig. 2 representsa vertical section of the same onthe line C D of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 representsia vertical section on the line E F Sdesignates the tiu-platec'asing of the cell, inthe ends ofwhich wooden blocks K L are fastened, the said blocks being grooved in the middle, at is Z, to receive a lead plate M, the

negative electrode also in their side edges k To Z Z to receive the positive electrode zinc plates 0 and P. These grooves allow the said plates to be moved in or out without touching each other. The positive electrodes-the zinc plates 0 and P.are in contact with the the oxygen of the air.

tin wall of the cell, but there is no appreciable local action between them.

' U and V designate, respectively, the wires making connection, respectively, with the negative and positive electrodes.

-It is well known that the spongy lead negative plates of accumulators, such as the Faure- Sellon-Volkmar battery, get heated when they are exposed to the air after a full charge of current. That phenomenon is due to the production of suboxid of-lead (Pb,0) caused by If a lead plate thus oxidized is put into a diluted solution of sulfuric acid for afew hours, the suboxid decomposes itself into metallic lead on the one part and protoxid of lead on the other, forming,

with the acid, sulfate of lead embedded in the lead plates. If we take one of these plates so prepared and place it in a proper tank contaiuing a solution of sulfate of zinc opposite a zinc plate of about the same size acting as a positive electrode, we will then have a cell,

azing the negative electrotle being-lead, sulfate of lead, and sulfate of zinc, and thepositive electrode being zinc, which gives a current as constant as the Daniell cell. The above steps may berepresen'ted as follows. Charge: 1

Oxidation by air: 2Pb+O=Pb O Sulfating: PbgO-i-SO,,H :Pb+PbSO +l-I O.

Discharge:

There is an absolute difierence between this battery and Becquerels and other sulfate-oflead batteries where the depolarization is very imperfect and the internal resistance very great. This diflerence can be explained by the different molecular state of the sulfate containing reduced metallic lead (S0,,Ph +Pb) in the whole material instead of sulfate of lead alone, (SO,Pb,) as has been explained hereinabove. The negative lead and positive zinc plates can be put together in the same element in as great anumber asrequired, and the aspectis exactly that of an accumulator, excepting that the peroxidized lead plate is replaced by a negative lead plate coated with leadsulfate, the negative plate bya positive zinc plate, and the acidulated water by sulfate of zinc. When the current lowers after a long discharge, the only thing necessary is to expose again the lead plates to atmospheric air in order to provoke a new oxidation, then to place these plates'in acidulated water as before for a few hours, have the plates put into water to do away with the free acid,and finally place them again in the elements, causing a new discharge to be produced, and so on. The contact between the zinc or positive plates and the metal of the cell=will prevent the oxidation of the latter, which might otherwise happen.

Other materials can be used for the tanksglass, ebonite, pottery, wood, whether lined with lead or otherwise. As the battery works the sulfate of zinc increases in density, and consequentlyshould be brought back to the proper dilution by a suitable supply of water.

Thezinc forming the positive electrode mav be feferabl ,ai immsasa-booms not dog nearly as well in certain cases,

the said. plates,

thee-ends of the saidceil and grooved to allow absolutely necessary,

' lead and constitntinc a ne 'stivo oloctrofie.

the independent insertion and withdmwal of while keeping" them apart f rom each otheljelectric circuit connections tosaid. platesa'nd an excitiant fer the said plate-s within the saio as set forth.

2, In combination with the tin easing 55 ti'se spongy load plate M containing" sulfate of the zinc plates 0 P constituting positive s1 trozles and contained in the said cell, the insulating-bloeks K L fitted into the ends of the said cell and grooved to allow the indspomlent insertion and withdrawal of the said plates, while keeping them apart from each othcv, electric circuit connections to sai pistes ant. an emit-ant for the saicl slates within the sci casing, snbstantially as set form comin s EDOEEARU IFHEEKAE.

Witnesssf E WARD P MsoL-ssn, J OHN S. Annncnomom. 

